Lightning on a Clear Day

Location: 95 The Pond Road
Date photo taken: 22 September 2018

The Quad at York is a student residence made up of a pair of U-shaped buildings. The various east and west-facing sides of the building are etched with a series of branching patterns. I was drawn to the lightning but there are others, equally beautiful. They're impressive from a distance, and even more engaging up close where you can see the shifting colours in the designs. They are the work of Montreal artist Nicolas Baier.

Traffic Signal Box - Nuthatch

Location: Jane St. at Alliance Ave.

Date photo taken: 7 September 2018

Image #10 in the Traffic Signal Box Series

Here's another traffic signal box that got spruced up in 2015 thanks to StreetARToronto's Outside the Box program. The artist is Erica Balon, also known as EGR, whose style I love.

Frederick and Duke

Location: Corner of Frederick and Adelaide

Date photo taken: 7 February 2018

Image 8 in the Remnants Series

This stone marker on the corner of George Brown's St. James Campus building is not a reference to Shakespeare but rather a reminder that Toronto is a city in constant flux. Back when this building was built in 1872 by Christie Brown & Co., maker of good cookies, the streets which ran east to west between King and Queen looked different than they do today. They were more disjointed and in some stretches they were called by different names. As seen on this 1884 fire insurance map, the street which ran between Jarvis and Parliament, north of King, which is today part of Adelaide, was at that time Duke Street. North of it was not Richmond, but Duchess. Hence, this now curious street marker.

Lacey and Layla Portrait

Date photo taken: 4 September 2018
Location: Laneway north of Dundas, west of McCaul

In August, Womxn Paint hosted an event in the laneway that curves between D'Arcy and McCaul, just north of Dundas. They invited female identified artists to come out and transform the garages along the lane with art. The organization's goal is to empower women through art, and in the process, to diversify the public art experience throughout the city. This mural was done by Lacey Jane and Layla Folkman, a professional art duo based out of Montreal. Check out their Instagram feed for some images of the event in progress.

Little Champion

Location: College and Dovercourt

Date photo taken: 6 June 2018

This triumphant figure is Little Champion, a sculpture by Dr. Harry Rosen. To date he has created 16 works and donated them to organizations in Montreal and Toronto. All feature this distinctive layered look. While this piece is done in bronze, it mimics the look of his work in stone, which is composed of thin layers of carefully ground and shaped stone. 

Bike Rack - O Ring Posts

Location: King and Toronto Streets

Date photo taken: 1 May 2018

The majority of bike racks across the City are of this standard post-and-ring design, created by city designers David Dennis and Eric Pederson. Early models even included their initials. 25 were installed as part of a pilot project in 1984. Prior to this most cyclists locked their bikes to parking meters. When the city began removing coin-operated parking meters in 1999, the city began installing these bike posts instead with about 3000 posts being installed over a 3 year period. By 2016 approximately 17,500 had been installed around the city. Pros of the design, according to the City's website, include that they are easily recognized, spatially efficient, inexpensive and robust. Cons include that they are kind of challenging for users, and older styles are not tamper-proof, leaving bikes more vulnerable to vandalism and theft. A new and improved design was introduced in 2008, and as more focus is given to cycling across the city, many more unique designs are showing up on private property and city land all across Toronto.

Antique Carousel

Location: Centreville, Centre Island

Date photo taken: 3 August 2018

Choosing which mount to ride on the carousel at Centreville is not an easy decision. While there are a few horses to be had for the purists among you, there are animals to suit everyone's fancy, from these sprightly rabbits, to charging pigs, trotting ostriches, and fierce tigers. There are 52 mounts in all, including 36 which jump and 2 chariots. The variety may be explained by the fact that the animals are hand-carved from wood, not made from molded plastic. It was created in Germantown, Pennsylvania by the G.A. Dentzel Steam & Horsepower Company around 1908. It was purchased for the park in 1964. After suffering major losses due to the extensive flooding on the island in 2017, Centreville owners agreed to sell the carousel to Carmel, Indiana, sparking outcries around the city. The deal fell through when Carmel council vote 5-2 against the purchase, and in October Toronto's city council passed a motion to amend the current license agreement at Centreville to ensure that the carousel remains in the park for future generations to enjoy.